The Virginia Supreme Court recently overturned the April 21 redistricting referendum, which could have given Democrats an advantage in the upcoming midterms. The decision sparked outrage among Virginia Democratic voters, as many felt their votes were being ignored by the court.
The decision came after a 4-3 vote. According to Politico, Virginia Justice D. Arthur Kelsey said Democrats “submitted a proposed constitutional amendment to Virginia voters in an unprecedented manner” that violated state law, leading the ballots to be invalidated.
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott criticized the decision, saying that while the party respected the court’s ruling, more than three million people had voted in favor of the measure, leaving Democrats “disappointed” with the outcome. Voters originally approved the changes by a narrow 52% to 48% margin. With the ruling, the same map used in the 2024 election will also be used in 2026.
Virginia Voters Enraged At Supreme Court’s Decision
Virginia Democratic voters were unhappy with the state Supreme Court’s decision, and many took to Reddit’s r/Virginia to complain. “Gee, glad democracy and voting and stuff still mean something in Virginia. Republicans can gerrymander the [expletive] out of every state, but when Democrats try to level the playing field a little bit, even asking the people for permission to do that, the court says no,” one user said.
Others criticized the Virginia Supreme Court for overturning the decision, saying, “They’re denying the will of the people.” Much of the outrage stemmed from the belief that Republicans are often able to “get away” with redistricting practices, as reflected in comments from frustrated voters: “Don’t worry! Republicans are doing the same thing in at least 4-5 other states, which will be blessed and welcomed by all legal entities.”
Overall, many people appeared disappointed by the ruling, though not entirely discouraged. “Worked for Republicans, we’ll just keep trying. Seems like we should just ignore the courts,” one unhappy Virginia resident wrote, while others followed the same path: “They could do what DeSantis is doing and just ignore the state constitution.”
It remains to be seen whether the decision will be challenged in federal court, since the Virginia Supreme Court is the highest authority on such matters in the state. In any case, politics in Virginia appears to be heating up ahead of the midterm elections.
